Chapter 409 Oregon Laws 1999

Session Law

AN ACT

SB 592

Relating to workers' compensation assessments; amending ORS 656.612.

Be It Enacted by the People of the State of Oregon:

SECTION 1. ORS 656.612 is amended to read:

656.612. (1) The Director of the Department of Consumer and Business Services shall impose and collect assessments from all insurers, self-insured employers and self-insured employer groups in an amount sufficient to pay the expenses of the Department of Consumer and Business Services under this chapter and ORS chapter 654 and under the Insurance Code. The assessments shall be paid in such manner and at such intervals as the director may direct and when collected shall be deposited in the Consumer and Business Services Fund. Such receipts in the account are continuously appropriated to the department for the purpose described in this subsection.

(2) The assessments shall be levied against the insurers' direct earned premium and the direct earned premium self-insured employers and self-insured employer groups would have paid had they been insured employers. [The assessments shall be developed under such systems and procedures as the director, in the discretion of the director, determines will reasonably and substantially accomplish such objective at the least possible administrative cost to everyone.]

(3) [Notwithstanding subsection (2) of this section,] The director may impose and collect an additional assessment from self-insured employer groups in an amount sufficient to pay the additional expenses involved in administering the group self-insured program.

(4) [Notwithstanding the provisions of this section,] The director may establish a minimum assessment applicable to all insurers, self-insured employers and self-insured employer groups and shall establish the time, manner and method of imposing and collecting assessments subject to applicable budgeting and fiscal laws.

(5) The assessments required under this section shall be developed pursuant to ORS 183.310 to 183.410 and in such a manner that will reasonably and substantially accomplish the objective of subsection (2) of this section at the least possible administrative cost to everyone.

(6) Assessments developed by the department under this section shall be reported to the Joint Legislative Committee on Ways and Means or, during the interim between sessions of the Legislative Assembly, to the Emergency Board.

Approved by the Governor June 29, 1999

Filed in the office of Secretary of State June 30, 1999

Effective date October 23, 1999

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